A Dragon's Jealousy
by Emperor Zeref Dragneel
Summary: As Erza Scarlet and Jellal Fernandez are about to share their first kiss, unknown to them, Natsu Dragneel is watching from a distance. Having soon come to realize that the feelings he holds for the red haired woman might be more than friendship, will be be too late in conquering her heart? What of Jellal and Ultear? How will they play into this unexpected event?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they are a property of Hiro Mashima and his publishers.

 **When it Hurts the Most**

Natsu Dragneel had managed to sneak away from the rest of his teammates while they were still undergoing the process of unlocking their **Second Origin** , courtesy of Ultear Milkovich. The entire process had him undergo excruciating pain, and whilst it was aggravating at most, he could not deny the excitement that bubbled in him at the thought of growing stronger than he already was. For Natsu, growing stronger was a code he lived by and adhered to daily, although of late, he realized that he was more determined in his quest to be the best. The reason, well, it was where he was headed to at the moment.

As he skipped merrily through the forest, his mind setting on finding one red haired woman, he found himself unworried of how the Time Mage would react once she had realized he was absent from the rest. He had definitely taken a liking to Ultear, ever since the two fought on Galuna Island, but somehow the thought of making her angry did not seem to perturb him as was the case with Erza Scarlet. While he had been accustomed to usual fits of anger from the red haired woman, Natsu had secretly found a certain form of amusement in teasing the red haired woman. But this was not the reason why he was currently searching for her in the forest where they were called by Crime Sorciere.

He had come quite a long way in his unlocking of the second magic vessel said to be possessed by all wizards, according to Ultear, so he wanted to show Erza just how much he had grown, his intentions being to compare his level of growth with that of the red haired woman. He was aware, to some extent, that the red haired woman had also grown quite a ton with her **Second Origin** training, possibly more than everyone else that was with him, but even then, he still wanted to show her. Since the time that the pink haired man and the red haired woman were kids, Natsu had set Erza as one of his rivals, and vowed to defeat her one day in a fight. Whenever he found a suitable challenge, the first idea that propped into his mind was to challenge her, looking for somewhere where he would best her and, a small part of him added on, make her proud of the man he had become.

The image of Erza's warm smile at him once he had defeated Jellal in the Tower of Heaven resurfaced vividly in his mind, and he still remembered the joy that smile had brought him. For a reason that eluded him to date, ever since that day, he realized that he had wanted to see that smile adorning the face of the girl for as long as he was beside her. He wanted to see that smile, and protect it, since her crying face devastated him more than he could let on. Of course, impressing her with the results of his training would further serve his purposes, he surmised. A gleeful smile plus a chuckle made their way on to his facial features, and suddenly his arms began swinging cheerfully at his sides as he quickened the pace in his steps, his excitement at the thought of meeting Erza grow more and more.

After a few minutes of nothing but forward movement from the pink haired man, he reached a certain section of the forest that he found littered with leaves all over. Not that he had seen leaves in his time here, of course, but for some odd reason, the current place he was in had the leaves in bundles at his feet. He could practically feel the leaves rustle under his feet as he walked on; giving no sign that there was earth beneath him. He looked around him curiously, wondering what part of the forest he had reached, and contemplated going back for a minute. His eyes darted from corner to corner of the unexplored part he had come across, when they landed upon a mass of glowing lights that was floating in the air before him. This sent his mind into a further state of befuddlement, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he wondered where he was supposed to head to now, his eyes closed in thought. Finding no solution in the path that lay before him, he decided to head back and try looking in a different section of the forest, when he saw a bundle of something on the floor of leaves ahead of him.

A drop of sweat formed itself on his brow, his first thought being that he had interrupted something important, and so he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, muttering a silent apology to the human sized bundle ahead of him. Luckily, he realized, they had not gotten sight of him, so it would be easier for him to get away from that area and act as if nothing had ever happened. As he silently tiptoed backwards, however, there was a sudden rustle of wind, sending a fair number of the leaves on the forest floor swirling into the air, forming into a magnificent sight into the air ahead of Natsu. For a moment, he found himself enthralled by the sight of the leaves, being a mirror of his ever-growing happiness, before his eyes came to rest upon a mass of red hair that lay on the ground before him. It did not take him a while to realize that the red hair belonged to the woman he had been looking for, since he did not know any other woman in his life that sported such a lovely shade of red. Immediately, he raised his hand to call out to the woman, a feeling of satisfaction enveloping him. However, he soon became aware of the presence of a mass of blue hair, which lay on top of the woman at a dangerously close position, and his heart stopped momentarily. As quickly as the leaves had risen into the air above him, they soon returned to the ground where they had originated from, and so did the feeling of excitement that was within him.

His first instinct of course, told him to hide behind one of the nearby trees. Once he had his back etched against the rough surface of the tree, however, he found himself wondering what had possessed him to act in such a sneaky manner around two people who were not strangers to him. Erza was his friend, right? Plus the blue haired man, Jellal, had made a change for better the last time Natsu had met him within the Nirvana, right? With these two questions in mind, however, he wondered just what had caused him to feel bad about seeing the two people sprawled on the leaves, with Jellal on top of Erza, at a distance that one could hardly call 'just friends'. Now that he could think about it clearly, Natsu came to the conclusion that he had probably jumped into conclusions earlier, so he decided to look for him to see what was really happening. His face edged closer to the tree, making sure to be as silent as possible lest the two catch wind of him, but the sight that he saw would be something he wished he had not bothered to look at.

Jellal had Erza's face cupped in his hands, and he was inching ever so closer to her face, to which Erza did the same. As the sight etched itself before his eyes, Natsu came to the realization of a growing pain on his chest area, so he raised his hand to the chest, hoping that it would ease the pain. It did him none the better, and with each degree of closeness that the two people before him moved toward, he found the pain in his chest cutting deeper and deeper. What was that he was feeling?

Turning his head away from the scene, and subsequently his focus plus the plethora of emotions that had flooded him then, Natsu found the pain in his chest dulling none the less. He tried to force himself to smile, carrying the thought in mind that the red haired girl seemed happy with the way she was then. So then, why was he finding it really hard to brave a smile at the moment? A laugh escaped his lips nervously, and the thought of running away from that area occurred to him. He tried to move his legs, but to no avail, since all the energy seemed to have seeped away from his limbs. Realizing this, he rested his back softly against the tree he was on, his eyes shut as he tried to block out the ever growing stinging feeling in his chest.

He did not realize when he found himself seated on the ground below him, his legs crossed in front of him. Silently, he leaned his head forward, and placed it silently between his outstretched arms, using them to support himself. He did not know why he had chosen to linger in that area, but then again, he did not know what would happen to him if he decided to move away from there, so he decided it better to stay a while longer. Once he had regained the energy and the will to move away, he would rejoin the rest of the guild members, and act as if nothing had happened. Yes, he came to a realization. Everything was going to be okay, and he would find himself laughing about this and teasing Erza the next time he came across her. A small laugh escaped his lips, as he contemplated the ridiculous way he was feeling at the moment and thinking about he had possibly overreacted in the situation he was in. But then again, a small part of him wondered, why did it hurt ever so?

Away from him, and unknown to him, as the red haired woman edged her face closer and closer to that of the blue haired man, for the inevitable kiss she would get from him, which was going to be her first ever, she suddenly stopped herself. She could feel the warm breath emanating from Jellal's slightly open palate, so then why did she stop? This was what she had always wanted, right? As she contemplated on her thoughts, the blue haired man before her talked to her, for the first time since the two had accidentally ended up in this area of the forest.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Jellal asked, concerned for the woman who was still beneath him.

 _No, this doesn't feel right_ , Erza thought, finding it increasingly hard to look into the eyes of the man above her. Her thoughts were now thrown into disarray, and she realized she could not stay in that place any longer. She gently squeezed herself out of the hold of the blue haired man, then replied to him, a bit hurriedly," Oh, I just remembered I have to check up on the others and see how their training is coming along!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a slight pang of guilt in her heart, and for a moment remained unsure of herself. Without giving the matter anymore thought lest she finds herself in a dilemma, she quickly got off the floor of the forest, and turned away from the blue haired man. Jellal weakly raised a hand to stop her, but alas, she had her back turned to him and was steadily increasing the distance between them. Erza Scarlet increased the pace in her steps momentarily, choosing not to hesitate since she did not want to have second thoughts about what she was doing. Her arms were folded across her chest, and her face was cast downwards. There was no trace of a smile across her visage at that point.

As she passed a certain tree, however, she immediately realized that there was a human crouched at the base of the tree, his face unseen and hidden under his hands. She would never mistake that pink hair anywhere, but she could not deny the sense of guilt that invaded her body just then. What was he doing there? Had he seen everything? These questions ran through her mind, as she opened her mouth to call out to him.

"Natsu?"

 **A/N:** Here we are, with the first chapter of my latest Natsu-Erza story. Not to worry though, none of the other stories are being abandoned; I just wanted to add a new story into my collection. All my Naza stories are equally loved and they will be updated regularly. Hope you enjoyed and as always comment with your thoughts and thanks for reading ;)


	2. Finding Comfort

**Chapter 2**

 **Finding Comfort**

Natsu heard his name called out with a familiar sound, one that he had grown up with and was accustomed to hearing every day. It always made him happy when he heard his name on her lips, but somehow, this time he felt nothing at her call. He could still feel the pain gnawing at him inside, trying his best to suppress it and wonder what had brought it on in the first place. He was not aware of feelings like this, but his first impression of it was that it hurt. Quite a lot at that. Still, he realized that he could not allow Erza to see such a side of him, so he swallowed his pain and looked up from his lower position on the ground at the knight who stood above him. Their eyes met each other and for a moment, each said nothing.

Erza, who had her hands folded on her chest a while back, looked slightly away from the pink haired man's stare. Her hand came to rest upon her opposite elbow, in a show of shame. She felt as if somehow his eyes could peer into the depths of her soul, and by doing so, he could see the guilt she was currently feeling over what she was about to do a few minutes earlier. The feeling made a cold sweat break out all over her body. She realized that she had to do something to break the ice that had momentarily formed between her and her comrade.

"Yo Natsu. Fancy meeting you here," she started, her voice carrying a slight edge to it, unnoticed by the dragon slayer. Once the words escaped her mouth, however, she realized just how ridiculous she sounded. _What am I saying?_ She asked herself, inwardly berating herself for failing to properly read the situation. Things would only continue to get awkward with what she had just said.

Natsu, who was still looking at the red haired girl, had failed to hear what she had just said then, finding himself mesmerized with how lovely she appeared at the moment. The sun was setting in the horizon, casting a glow all over the sky above them. There was a slight breeze in the air, that set her hair slightly fluttering with it, and at that moment, he could swear that he saw some edges of her hair glow with the same color as the setting sun. It was quite a sight to behold. But how could such a beautiful thing have caused his heart to sting with an ever growing pain? He thought sadly. Shaking these thoughts out of his head, he decided to respond to the girl. Yes, he realized. His earlier resolve still remained. There was no way he would allow Erza to see such a pathetic side of him.

"Ah, well I was looking for you because I wanted to show you something," Natsu replied to his friend, albeit his voice carrying a slight heaviness in it. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and giggled nervously, as he usually would in a time like this, for effect. Yes, he realized, he would be able to get through this just fine. Perhaps what had happened earlier was just a misunderstanding. He tried to force himself to be as candid as possible, and succeeded for the most part, but he realized that it was not possible to act as if everything was dandy. Something still gnawed at the edges of his heart, and even if he tried as much as possible to pass it off as he did his usual bouts of motion sickness, he realized that it was getting increasingly difficult to do so. He soon became aware of the nervous manner in which he had giggled earlier, a sharp contrast to his usual, cheeky giggles, and that only added to his increasing sense of worry at that moment. He would not be able to carry that façade for much longer.

Erza tilted her head slightly to the side at his reply, trying to hide her embarrassment just as much as Natsu was trying to hide his pain, and wondered for a moment if maybe she had been over thinking what had just transpired with the Dragon Slayer. "Really? Well I'm flattered, what did you want to show me?" The red haired girl said, managing to force a small smile on her face as she was still trying to break the tension that had unknowingly gripped the air between her and her friend. She began to ponder whether or not Natsu had really seen what had happened…or rather almost happened, between her and Jella, half hoping that maybe by some stroke of luck he had not been witness to that. Then again, her mind kicked in a second time, if he had not seen what had happened with Jellal, there should have been no reason for him to have been hiding behind the tree she had found him. What had he been doing there? There was possibly no explanation regarding this. Unless, Erza gulped, realizing that there was no other reason except what she had surmised earlier. The thought made a cold ice break out all over her body. Why was she feeling this way?

As she responded to the question, Natsu found himself looking at the way her lips moved with each word she uttered. He found himself mesmerized again by her, for the second time that day, as he watched her supple lips move up and down, parting ever so slightly. He wondered what it would be like tasting her on him, but as soon as the thought occurred to him, his mind restored him to the cold truth that he had laid his eyes upon earlier. The image of Jellal drawing himself closer and closer to her slightly parted mouth, as she offered no resistance and invited him slowly, resurfaced in his mind, and with it the pain in his chest nearly overwhelmed his entire being. He brought his hand to rest over the affected area, well knowing that it would do nothing to abate the agony he was feeling courtesy of the woman before him, but still, it would help a little.

"You know what," he started, realizing that he was fighting a losing battle and before long he would probably have a break down in front of the girl he admired, "just…forget it. It's not really that important," he concluded his reply, attempting to distract his train of thoughts at the moment. It was honestly more than he could bear at the moment. If he stayed there any longer, he realized that he would probably show Erza something that he never wished her to see. She was too important to him for to let his anger out on, anger that would be misplaced in that respect, as she had done nothing wrong. Yes, he realized. It was all Jellal's fault. A flash of anger crossed his eyes towards the man, but before he let the feeling grow any more, he got off the ground and began walking away from the red haired woman, his gaze focused towards the ground. Part of his hair covered his eyes, which held weights of sadness and anger.

As he walked away from the scene, making sure not to look back or his resolve would shatter at the sight of her face, he heard her call out to him faintly in the distance," Natsu?" He did not respond, walking deeper and deeper into the forest.

In another section of the forest, well away from Natsu Dragneel and Erza Scarlet, a certain dark haired woman was looking for her runaway student. Lucy HeartFilia had tipped off Ultear Milkovich about Natsu's sneak away in the middle of the lesson, making the woman a bit irate. She did not like it when people willingly disobeyed her, so here she was in the forest looking for her runaway student. She had left the rest of the Fairy Tail members working on unlocking their second origins, setting out to find the lone Dragon Slayer. It was with good effect too. Ever since the Tower of Heaven, when she witnessed him defeat Jellal, who was under her control at the moment, but nonetheless one of the Ten Mage Saints, she admitted that she found herself intrigued with the pink haired man. Additionally, she had the chance to spar with him briefly on Tenrou Island when her guild at the time, Grimoire Heart, had invaded the island in order to get their hands on Zeref. While she had not been fighting him seriously at the time, she had to admit that she had realized his great potential at the time, and wondered just how strong he would get. Now that she had the lucky chance of training him in his Second Origin, she would not let such a chance slip away, making sure to bear witness to his growth as much as possible in the short time she had to spend with him before he and his guild left to participate in the Grand Magic Games.

As she looked around from tree to tree, looking for a sign of the man, she was blessed with the luck of seeing him walking towards her. Well, that was fast, she realized. It hadn't even been 10 minutes since she had entered the forest looking for him. Still, even with her satisfaction at finally finding him, she was not going to let him off the hook so easily. Her hands rested on her waist as she looked at him with an expression of dissatisfaction, she complained," Natsu! What did you think you were doing escaping from the others? Once we get back I'll-"she stopped speaking momentarily, now seeing the glum expression on his face as he was now a foot away from where she had been standing. His eyes were still cast downwards, his hands in his pockets as he walked robotically towards the dark haired woman. He did not seem to take notice of her, about to walk past her and straight into the trees behind her. Ultear would have none of that. She stepped directly in front of him, and that, at least, was enough to garner his attention since he stopped walking, but did not look into the woman's face.

"What happened?" She asked him in a concerned manner. While she was still displeased with him for sneaking out of her lessons, she realized that it wasn't the time to call him off for his mischievousness. There was something wrong with Natsu at the moment, and for a moment Ultear felt her heart tighten in her chest. He was not supposed to be this way. While she had obviously not spent much time with him, she could easily tell, and she was sure anyone would at their first impression of Natsu Dragneel, he was a cheerful person. Generally upbeat and carrying himself with a smile on his face, he was supposed to be the embodiment of joy and happiness to all that knew him. At the moment, he seemed as if all the life had been seeped away from him by some external force.

Natsu heard the voice of the woman before him, slightly looking up to meet a set of dark attire plus the ends of jet black hair, realizing that the attire belonged to his teacher, Ultear. Normally, he would have been afraid that his antics had finally been caught on to, but with the way he was currently, he realized that he cared less of what would happen to him then. He had thought that getting away from Erza would be for the best originally, but with each step he took, he found that image resurfacing in his mind more times than he had expected, stabbing at each heart each time. Deciding that trying to numb the pain would do him no good, he decided to let his body feel the brunt of it, with the hopes that it would dissuade with time. However, once he heard the woman standing before him express her worry and concern for him, he could not hold it in any longer. He needed someone with whom he could share this pain with. Perhaps Ultear would do. He did not think anyone in the guild would understand what he was feeling at the moment, and being on good terms with his teacher, there was a fair chance that she could comfort him.

Without warning, and catching the woman standing ahead of him by surprise, Natsu moved his feet idly forward and rested his head into the dark haired woman's chest. Ultear gaped at him in surprise, and immediately thought that he was up to a perverted act by shoving his face into her bosom, before she realized that he was not expressing any of his usual enthusiasm. Ultear could still remember the manner in which Natsu had hugged her when she had first promised to teach them, the way he was beaming with joy as he rubbed his face into her ample chest. Back then she had also been caught by surprise, but it was a bit of a pleasant surprise. This time, she could feel the sadness that clouded him, and realized that he probably needed something to comfort him and make him whole again. She would try being that person, at least for now.

Maybe talking to him would help, she thought, as she asked him, for the second time that day," What happened?" At this question, to her satisfaction, he shook his head weakly upon her chest. Ultear smiled warmly at him, realizing that he probably did not want to talk about it then. In some ways he reminded her of her behavior as a kid, not wanting to talk to anyone whenever something troubled her. She did not like imposing her problems on others, deciding to deal with them herself. Natsu burrowed his head deeper into her chest, and Ultear felt a slight wet sensation on the area of her skin there. Was he crying? She wondered to herself, as she brought one of her hands to the top of his head, patting him slowly. Whatever it was that was troubling him, she would help him get through it. She softly patted his hair, taking note of how soft it was to the touch.

The two mages stood there in silence, Natsu drowning his sadness into the woman, and her helping him become whole again. Perhaps this was how things were meant to be. Or not, Ultear realized, as she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the two. She shifted her gaze away from the man and looked towards the forest where the sound was coming from. If Natsu took heed of the sound, he made no attempt to show it, keeping his face hidden from view and still resting upon the woman's attire.

A voice broke out into the silence that Ultear and Natsu were currently experiencing, carrying with it a plethora of emotions experienced by the pink haired mage. "So this is where you were?" Erza spoke up, but she spoke too soon. Her eyes took a minute to adjust to the awkward situation that was before her, wondering what on earth Natsu was doing with the dark haired woman. A sense of discomfort passed through her body, and she felt herself feeling a bit irate, but suddenly a thought crossed her mind. What if Natsu had felt the same way when he came across her and Jellal earlier? The feeling of irritation that had been welling up in her was quickly replaced by a feeling of sadness, and she wondered whether she was facing the consequences of her actions. She had her doubts as she was about to go through with kissing Jellal back then, but here and now, she felt her doubts growing as she questioned what she felt for Natsu, and whether it was stronger than what she felt for Jellal.

She was however, broken out of her swarm of thoughts by the woman who was currently with Natsu." What's going on here? Why is Natsu acting this way?" Ultear asked Erza. The dark haired woman had surmised from Erza's earlier statement that she also knew something was amiss with Natsu, and had decided to check up on him. Erza was a good friend. But what if she was the reason for Natsu being this way was due to something that Erza had done? Ultear wondered. It seemed like a long shot at first, but the more she pondered on it, she realized that it didn't make sense for only Erza to come looking for Natsu. She wasn't with the others when they were training their second origins, so Natsu might have been with her and saw something that saddened him. The thought made Ultear's insides boil with slight anger but she managed to contain herself, as she waited a plausible response from the red haired woman standing behind her and Natsu.

To both women's astonishment however, Natsu extricated himself from Ultear's body, and without a word to either woman or a glance, he stormed off into the forest once more. He had been glad to at least get some form of solace from Ultear earlier, but Erza's voice had sent his mind into the turmoil he had experienced prior to meeting Ultear, something he was trying to flush out of his system as possible. He knew that he was not supposed to be feeling this way; that with enough time things would go back to the way they normally were but for that to happen he had to stay away from Erza for a while. He did not know why he was feeling this way solely due to her, but one thing he knew was that he had to avoid her company for a good amount of time.

It was while he was on this train of thoughts that he had someone call out to him from a nearby location, a voice that he recognized as that of the man that had put him through all this anguish in the first place.

"Wait."

 **A/N:** To be continued.


	3. Don't Leave Me

**Chapter 3**

 **Don't Leave Me**

 _Natsu and Jellal_

A bit startled since he had not expected to run into the man at all, Natsu turned his head robotically to look upon the form of Jellal Fernandez, who was leaning against a tree a few feet away from him. The blue haired man had his hands folded across his chest and his eyes closed, and owing to his calm exposure, Natsu had a feeling that he had been waiting there for quite a while after the incident with Erza.

"I take it you saw what happened back there," Jellal started, talking in a calm and collected manner, confirming Natsu's earlier doubts. The pink haired man was no idiot, he knew that Jellal, no matter his current position as an Independent Mage, was once a member of the 10 Mage Saints, so he had already sensed Natsu the moment he had appeared in that section of the forest. Still, why he had chosen to approach him now baffled him. He chose not to answer, wondering where the blue haired man was going with all this.

Jellal, on the other hand, had his mind preoccupied with what had brought on Erza's reaction back then. He had been cock sure at first that the red haired woman had wanted to kiss him, owing to how she cupped his face in her hands, but something stopped her at the very last minute. Remembering that Natsu had shown up mere moments before their lips had made contact, he had a feeling that Erza's last minute withdrawal had been caused by the pink haired Dragon Slayer. Still, he knew that Natsu himself had not exactly seen what had happened till the end owing to how distant he had been, so maybe all was not lost yet.

A bit satisfied, the blue haired man talked to Natsu again, ignoring his earlier silence as a failed attempt at showing indifference," If you indeed saw that, then I think everything should be clear to you right now."

His tone was a bit condescending this time, something that Natsu picked up on but did not like one bit. It broke his silence," What exactly do you mean by that?" The pink haired man asked, his voice slightly shaking with anger. He of course did not need to be told what had happened even after he had averted his eyes away from the scene, but still the matter made his insides boil with anger and irritation at the sight of Jellal. Slowly by slowly, Jellal's motives were beginning to show, and Natsu realized that the man had come here to provoke him slightly.

A small, grim smile slowly formed on the blue haired man's face, realizing that he had gotten to Natsu a little. Good, he thought. Then this would not take a lot of time. Huffing a little, he continued, this time his voice brimming with confidence," What? You want me to spell it out for you? Erza and I are now dating, and that kiss we shared back then marked the start of our relationship." The horrified expression on Natsu's face was priceless, and Jellal would have been satisfied with just that, but he knew that Natsu wasn't likely to be discouraged by something as flimsy as that. He continued," Your role in Erza's life is done. From now on I'm going to be the one watching over her."

At the second statement, Natsu's gradually rising anger had now reached boiling point. Gnashing his teeth violently, he threw a fist towards the blue haired man, intending to drive his face through the tree he was still leaning on with all the force he could muster, but unfortunately for him the blue haired man slightly turned his head to the side, effectively dodging the incoming blow. Natsu's fist landed in the bark of the tree previously rested on by Jellal's head, sinking into the wooden surface a little and causing the tree to shake somewhat on its foundation. While the last time a similar situation like this had happened, the two men in Nirvana and Natsu having punched Jellal after the man showed up in front of him offering to help, this time the blue haired man was going to have none of that.

From the corner of his eye, the Dragon Slayer looked at Jellal, who still had that maddeningly calm aura around him. Natsu had to resist the temptation to try and hit him a second time, although he was unsure whether he would be able to land a clean blow. "If you think I'm going to let you make Erza cry again then you seriously have made a big mistake!" Natsu half shouted at the man, his body livid with anger. He could still remember vividly the tears that Erza had shed on account of Jellal in the Tower of Heaven, plus he could not be sure, but he had the uncanny feeling that once Jellal had been taken away by the Rune Knights, Erza had secluded herself from the others to go and cry her eyes out where no one could see her. The thought was vexing, and he had thought that he had forgiven Jellal over causing Erza that pain over and over again, but now he realized, he still loathed the man and wished nothing but him being as far away from Erza as possible.

Jellal, seemingly unperturbed by Natsu's out roar just then, replied," I know. And I truly feel sorry that I put her through that. But this time it's different," at this juncture, he opened his eyes, looking at Natsu for the first time since he had appeared in front of him, slightly catching the pink haired man off-guard," I intend to start my life anew with the second lease I've been given on it. It goes without saying that one of the things I really want to set straight is my relationship with Erza." However, as stoically and confidently Jellal uttered this half-lie, his heart was in minor turmoil. He knew, ever since that day in the Tower of Heaven, that Natsu and Erza shared a closeness, a certain bond that he could never hope to achieve with the red haired girl, so this was the only way that he could make sure that Natsu was out of the way for good. Once the pink haired man would be gone, Jellal would then proceed to fill the gap left by him in Erza's life. It would be hard, of course, but he was willing to do anything for the woman he loved, hoping that she too would come to do the same for him one day.

His tone held a strange senses of finality, and true to his words, he turned and began to walk away from the pink haired man. He had only walked a few steps, when he heard the man behind him talk to him once more, drawing his attention partially," Wait! We're not done yet here!" Natsu, unlike Jellal, would have none of whatever the blue haired man was suggesting. It was absurd! As if he was just going to walk out of the life of the woman he had come to treasure at the whims of someone who had pained her more times than he had caused her happiness. His anger was still fresh over the whole ludicrous situation, and he intended to settle things right there and then if need be. There was no way he was just going to let Jellal do as he wished with Erza. Not even over his dead body.

Jellal, however, was most certainly done with whatever he had come to talk to Natsu about. Without turning his face to look at the man, he simply spoke up to him, albeit in a darker tone this time," If you insist on interfering," he paused momentarily, carefully choosing his next pair of words, "then I won't be responsible for what happens."

With that, he walked off farther into the woods, leaving a speechless Natsu behind him, and not allowing him a further chance to respond.

 _Erza and Ultear_

The dark haired woman and the cherry haired woman stood amidst the flurry of trees, simply staring at each other for what seemed an eternity. It was quite an awkward situation for Erza Scarlet, having never come across Ultear Milkovich in the midst of such a…. _complicated_ moment. She had witnessed Natsu cry in the woman's bosom previously, but she was at a loss for words as to what to say now.

The Time Mage, on the other hand, had now finally gotten a hold over what had brought about this strange chain of events. Releasing a sigh due to exhaustion, she placed two fingers on her forehead, finally eliminating the tension in the air between her and Erza," Look, the thing is, I'm not particularly interested to know what you did," Ultear started, catching Erza completely by surprise owing to the befuddled manner the red haired woman looked at her now," Please don't ever cause my cute student such grief like you seemingly just have."

Ultear was really not interested in finding out what had happened with Erza, but she could tell from her intuition, and from Natsu's reaction earlier when Erza had showed up, that she had been the cause for the grief and anguish he exuded as he turned to her for comfort. The mere recap of the matter made her slightly irate at Erza, as she did not like the side of Natsu she had seen earlier.

Erza, taking in what Ultear had just said to her, clenched her fists at her sides, finding her still lacking something to say. She felt ashamed at what she had done; the full realization of her actions earlier finally dawning on her. So Natsu had definitely seen her and Jellal earlier. She bit her lower lip in frustration at this, her body slightly shaking in shame. A small part of her felt embarrassed and she could do nothing but watch as the darker haired woman exited before her, heading back in the direction of the cabin that she had come from earlier in her search for Natsu.

 _Later on that evening_

The sun had long since disappeared from the sky, in its place the moon finally rising and shedding its own light over the land. The Fairy Tail Mages that had been training since the break of dawn were finally allowed a chance to rest, a chance they took gladly owing to all the pain they had been caused due to their **Second Origin** being forcefully activated. Currently seated in their cabin, they shared stories and made merry with each other as they gladly took the rest they had been offered.

However, the same could not have been said for Erza Scarlet. For the rest of the day ever since she had that chance encounter with Ultear, the woman's words had lingered at the forefront of her mind. She had not gotten a moment of peace, even in the midst of her friends who were all in brighter moods than her, as she realized that she had to set things right with Natsu, and sooner than later. She had originally intended to do so at the evening, when everyone was finally free, but she was dismayed to find that he was not with everyone else. To make the matter worse, none of them knew where he was, saying that they had not seen him ever since he had snuck off in the middle of the mid-morning session. Determined to see him, the red haired woman made her way into the darkness outside, promising that she would find him before the sun broke through the horizon.

Luckily for her this time, it did not take for her to find him. He was seated at the edge of a small pool in the middle of the forest, light from the moon shining off the water's surface and giving the place around him a divine feeling. The sight somehow soothed her, bringing a warm smile to her face. Natsu himself had his hands rested behind his back, and he seemed to be staring into the water, his eyes enjoying the sight of nature placed before him. He was oddly silent, giving the impression that he was currently deep in thought.

The air around was a tad chilly owing to the time of the day, causing Erza to rub her arms in an attempt to warm her body up. She was still in the white skirt that she had been in for the earlier duration of the day, something that she noted with a bit of regret. Perhaps sitting next to Natsu would be warmer, she thought, walking forward and proceeding to place her on the patch of grass next to him.

The pink haired man, caught up in his thoughts moments ago, was startled to hear someone appear next to him. He looked to his side, and his heart leapt to his mouth as he realized it was the girl he had avoided earlier in the day. This was certainly not a good sign. The reason that he had excluded himself from the others that evening was that he could absolve his mind of all that had happened that day, and Jellal's final words to him certainly had not sounded like an empty threat. He was sure that the man was certain to make sure of what he had said, and to that effect, Natsu had decided that it would be best if he stayed away from Erza for a while, at least until things cleared up. And yet, here she was, making things harder for him.

A slight feeling of irritation cropped up in the man, and he got up from his position on the ground immediately planning to go to another location. Yes, he thought, as he averted his gaze away from Erza. This was for her good as well. Unexpectedly, however, he felt a smaller arm wrap itself around his bigger one, recognizing the touch to be none other than Erza's. Her arm felt warm, sending an equally fuzzy feeling throughout his body, but he could not allow himself to dwell in it a while longer. He pulled away, but to his dismay Erza's grasp on his hand did not budge by even the slightest. To boot, this time she used both her hands to pull on his, not giving him even the slightest chance to slip away.

Growing increasingly irritated with how things were playing out, Natsu pulled harder, choosing not to look behind since he was not sure if he would be able to resist once his eyes landed on hers. He gritted his teeth, wishing that he could lay out the whole truth before her right there and then, hoping that she could understand he was doing this solely for her sake, but then again, he somehow knew that either way, Jellal would still make his move. The mere thought of it spurred him on and made him realize that he had to be as far away from Erza as possible.

The two Mages struggled for a while, none of them giving each other any leeway, and the resultant effect was that Natsu lost his footing, stumbling into the grass beneath him, narrowly missing the water surface. Erza was pulled in on account of having held on to his arm a few moments earlier, and the next thing she knew she was in a 'precarious' situation, herself atop of Natsu. It was quite ironic, her mind reminded her, as she remembered finding herself in a similar situation earlier in the day with Jellal, but the funny thing was that this time she was the one on top of Natsu and not the other way round as with the blue haired man.

Erza's heart thudded in her chest and she could hear her own breathing quicken as she looked down on Natsu. Her hair was slightly ruffled owing to the sudden movement, and she found herself short of the words she had come with earlier. As she looked upon the pink haired Dragon Slayer beneath her, she was astonished to discover that he was not even looking at her. Even after something like this happened! He had his eyes focused to the side, giving Erza a view of his cheeks, something that slightly infuriated her. Her memory regarding what she had almost gone through with earlier throbbed at her, and this time, she intended to finalize on it, feeling that it was with the right person this time. Defiantly, she turned Natsu's face to look at her with both her hands, and once their eyes had finally met, she proceeded to crash her lips onto his.


	4. Separate Paths

**Chapter 4**

 **Separate Paths**

To say that the pink haired man was shocked would be an understatement. Natsu was bewildered over what had just happened, something his mind still seemed to be struggling to process, as he grew increasingly aware of the wet sensation on his lips courtesy of one red haired woman. The bewilderment was to good cause. In the entirety of his life, especially most recently as he was still growing accustomed to his feelings for Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel had never for once believed that the red haired girl would ever kiss him. He had of course been no stranger to such acts as those done during intimacy, owing to one naughty Satan Soul user who in her youth offered to give him a full depth explanation of how babies were made, but what was happening now, was certainly something out of his wildest dreams.

In a moment of weakness, he felt the urge to pull her closer, to have a better taste of her, as her taste continued to fill his mouth. He found it a taste he relished, but somehow it wasn't a complete feeling. Something still felt odd regarding all this. His mind was locked into a battle with his heart as he debated over whether what was happening was right or not. His hands slowly moved up behind the girl, mere inches away from the skin of her back. All that was needed was one more push, and she would have been his right there and then. Suddenly the warning that Jellal had issued to him earlier seemed something from a distant past, being rendered null and void by what was happening to him at the moment. What had happened with the blue haired man did not matter anymore. All that mattered was that he and she were there in that moment, away from the eyes of others and at liberty to do whatever they wished with each other.

Before he could make final of what his mind had just told him to go through with, however, in his heart an image flashed of what had transpired earlier that day between Erza and Jellal. All of a sudden, all that was happening between him and Erza at the moment just seemed so…. _wrong._ He became numb to the feel of her on his lips, and silently, the hands that had just been about to capture the girl in a moment of weakness made their way away from her back, coming to rest at the sides of her arms.

Gently, Natsu pried off the red haired girl from above him, much to her dismay and astonishment. Her first thought, of course, realizing how softly he was still holding her, was that he wanted to make them both comfortable before they lost themselves in a night of passion. A flame in her heart lit at this thought, burning away all the distress she had been feeling earlier. However, when her eyes came to rest upon his orbs, hoping to find an equal look of bliss in his as well, she realized that they held no hint of happiness. The only look that was focused upon her was a stern look, a look that made her feel uncomfortable and bringing her to the realization of what she had just done. The small flame of hope that had flickered in her heart moments ago vanished as soon as it had been set alit, in its place a feeling of guilt and shame welling up in her. It became difficult to look at Natsu in the eyes, so she simply cast her gaze away hoping that this would do to abate the dreadful feeling that had washed over her. Natsu was certainly not happy with what she had tried to do to him.

The Dragon Slayer, on the other hand, was beginning to feel furious over what Erza had just done to him. His throat became heavy, gradually filling up with a plethora of words he wished to lash out at the red head with.

 _How dare she do something like that to him? After kissing Jellal earlier? Did this all seem like a game to her? His feelings for her, were they such a trivial matter that she could just walk over them without caring what he felt?_

Natsu was seething with rage, and a single moment was what he needed to inflict all the rage and pain he was feeling towards the red haired beauty before him. However, much to his surprise, the only words that escaped his palate were," I'm sorry; I can't go through with this."

The words had come out calmer than he had expected, and all the rage he was feeling at Erza seemed to dissipate in that one moment. And just as calmly, Natsu realized what he was feeling for the girl. It had been all fuzzy and murky earlier, but now, it could never have been clearer. Natsu loved her. He loved her so much that he dared not think about hurting her, even if she was deserving of all of his anger at the moment. Hurting her was the last thing he wished to ever do. So when he saw her face glistening with tears moments after what he had told her, he decided to get up and walk away. It would be too much for him to bear seeing her crying like that. With a certain steadiness in his step, he slowly increased the distance between him and the Knight, in his heart telling himself that this was definitely for the best. Erza deserved to be happy with the one she loved. Just then, the pink haired man realized that what had spurred on Erza's actions back then was the fact that she had probably felt bad for him at having seen her and Jellal in that position earlier, adding to himself that she need not worry about his feelings from that point onwards. She deserved more than anything to be happy with the man her heart had chosen, and there was no way Natsu was going to let he get in the way of that.

With the same firmness and sureness that he had in his first step, the pink haired man walked on deeper into the forest, realizing that his heart felt lighter. He was not sure whether that was supposed to be a good or foreboding omen. While caught up in his thoughts regarding what had just transpired, however, he soon realized that he was not alone in the path he was walking on. Ahead of him, he spotted a pair of legs dangling in mid air, and his eyes travelled upward, curious to see who had decided to sit atop a branch that late at night. Alas, to his surprise, he realized that it was his dark haired teacher who was enjoying the silence the night offered while seated on one of the branches of a tree directly in Natsu's path.

Catching him completely by surprise, Ultear spoke up, without shifting her gaze away from the blanket of stars that lay above her," It's pretty, isn't it? Sometimes, watching the sky like this makes me feel like my mom is watching over me from the sky." Natsu did not realize it until then, but shifting his gaze upwards to look upon the same sky as Ultear, he was overwhelmed by how strikingly beautiful the sky looked on that particular night. He wondered whether it had looked the same on other nights as well.

The words uttered to him by the Time Mage, soon caught his attention stealing it away from the elegance that was the night sky, remembering something that Gray had told him in the past about Ultear and how she lost her mother, who happened to be Gray's Master. The story still ringing afresh in his mind, Natsu realized how similar he and Ultear were in a way. Both of them had lost their parents, well, in Natsu's case he simply did not know where Igneel had gone, but like Ultear had said just then, he wanted, wished to believe that the Red Dragon was somewhere in the world, watching over him at that very moment. The thought seemed to calm his heart, igniting a spasm of joy in him.

The Time Mage then cast her gaze upon him, realizing how different he seemed to be from when she had run into him earlier that afternoon. He seemed so at peace at that moment, and the thought made her feel relieved. She then asked him for the second time that day, taking his earlier silence as a sign that he thought the same way as her regarding the state of the sky that night. "Why don't you come up here and join me in watching them?" Natsu was surprised by her second question, but it brought out a giggle from him. It was pretty funny how the two were relating in that moment. "Won't the branch break with both our weights on it?" The dark haired woman widened her eyes slightly at his response, realizing the sense his answer held. She placed a finger under her chin in thought, brushing off the embarrassment she felt at suggesting something ridiculous, before another idea popped up in her mind. Smiling at him warmly now, Ultear said, "Okay okay point taken. Then, how about we look for a different place to watch them from?"

Natsu was in total agreement to this, owing to the way he did not giggle at her response like he had earlier. His hands were now rested on his chest, and he responded," You have somewhere in mind?"

"I spotted a low cliff not too far from here. We should be able to get a perfect view from there," Ultear chimed in, this time with a bubbly tone in her voice, which of course Natsu remained oblivious to.

The pink haired man turned his back, poised to leave at a moment's notice, taking delight in the fact that he had run into someone as charming as Ultear after what had happened with Erza earlier. What he needed at the moment was something calming, soothing to keep his thoughts away from the red haired knight. Behind him, he heard a soft thud as Ultear landed in the soft patch of earth at her feet. "Wait," she said to the Dragon Slayer, catching Natsu completely by surprise and prompting him to pause a second as he wondered what Ultear wanted to tell him now. That one second, unknown to him, was all the time Ultear needed to tilt his head slightly to the side so that he was now looking at her fully, then with much needed haste, capture his lips in a fiery kiss.

For the second time that evening, Natsu found himself completely bewildered by the situation he had found himself in. He was so surprised such that he kept his eyes open as Ultear pressed her lips on his, and he saw a faint outline of the way her hair swayed softly with the slight breeze she had churned on just then with her sudden motion. Feeling her soft hand still resting on his cheek, Natsu felt the sweet taste of her lips slowly invading his mouth. For what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day, Natsu Dragneel found himself at a loss of what to make with the situation he had found himself in. With Erza earlier, it had been somewhat hazy but clear that it had not been the right thing to do, well due to circumstances. With Ultear, on the other hand, there seemed to be something that called out to him. Asking him, pleading him to partake from her more, a voice in his head telling him that she would not mind it one bit.

This was probably the prime reason why, as soon as the woman parted her lips from Natsu's as she whiffed in some fresh air, telling him in a much subdued voice that she needed to do that to clear her mind, thereafter urging him to go on with her, he pinned her to the tree upon whose branch she had been rested on earlier. Ultear was surprised by the sudden gesture, but before she could voice her surprise, the pink haired man shoved his mouth onto hers. As their tongues competed for dominance, Natsu wondered whether maybe, just maybe, everything wasn't over yet. Perhaps this, like many things that had happened to him in the past, was the start of something new, something which would prove to be better.

 _Erza_

Natsu Dragneel had caught the first glimpses of how devastated he had left Erza after his curt response at her in reaction to her kiss, but even then, he could not even begin to fathom the devastation he had left in her. When she had come to the final resort of calming him down with a gesture, she had been cock sure that he would have accepted her kiss, thereby accepting the feelings that she passed on through it. However, things had gone awry, very, very awry, such that Erza was unsure whether they would ever return to normal. The last words Natsu had said to her before he vacated the area leaving her alone still echoed in her mind, and it was then that the red haired girl came to a shattering conclusion. Natsu had rejected her, even if he had tried to smooth over the whole process. The stern gaze he had shot at her once he had pried her off him only served to fuel her conclusion, realizing with a heavy heart that the man did not feel the same way for her.

This single truth continued to hammer away in her heart and in her mind, rooting her in the same spot that the pink haired man had left her in. Tears made their way down her eyes in lines of two, and she made no attempt to try and wipe them off or even inhibit their flow. Her heart had been broken, and if she did not weep over it then, it would surely come back to her later on, at a moment when it would not be necessary.

Erza was not aware just how much time had passed as she lay there on her knees; her gaze focused on nothing, but after what seemed to be an eternity, she felt a hand press itself on her shoulder. The feeling that the hand emitted was familiar. The man in question had of course, been watching all that happened between the red haired woman and the pink haired man, owing to the sole fact of being at the right time and the right place. At first, he had been utterly shocked when she had kissed him, gritting his teeth in frustration. Soon enough, however, his frustration gave way to surprise, a pleasant one at that, when he saw Natsu push Erza off him. Jellal Fernandes mulled over the fact that he had gotten a victory over the pink haired man regarding Erza's affections, holding true that the warning he had issued Natsu with earlier had not gone unheeded. Of course, there was no way he would let Erza know all that, realizing more than anything that this was a time he needed to be there for her more than anything. Jellal loved Erza, and he wasn't about to let anyone else have her.

The red haired girl placed her hand atop Jellal's, pleasing the blue haired man further. He told her in a calm voice, "Come." Erza, realizing that this was probably what she needed at the moment in order to get her mind off everything, off Natsu, took his hand, placing her trust in her longtime friend to alleviate her pain and sorrow.

 **A/N:** I hope this chapter turned out okay, and that I was able to capture everyone's personalities really well. Sorry if it's a bit sloppy. Anyways as always thanks for reading and let me know what you think ;)


	5. Mending a Broken Heart

**Chapter 5**

 **Mending a Broken Heart**

 _Bliss._

That was what Ultear Milkovich was feeling as she was kissing the man she had her heart set upon for a while now, hunched up against the tree that he had pushed her against earlier. She had been caught completely by surprise when he had first pressed his lips onto hers, but in no time she had given into her desires and allowed him to take her right there. Her insides were growing hot as she delved into her passion on a night filled with stars, making her realize why she liked Natsu Dragneel even more than she had.

The pink haired man placed his arms on her waist, pulling her closer to him. Their bodies were now in contact, and Ultear could feel the heat radiating off the pink haired man. Natsu's hands ran up and down Ultear's torso ever so softly, sending jitters down the dark haired woman's spine and making her place her hands over Natsu's shoulders so she could enjoy the thrilling moment more.

After a few moments of lip locking, however, Natsu was taken completely by surprise as Ultear parted her lips from his and focused her eyes on him.

The Dragon Slayer widened his eyes slightly at the woman's sudden gesture, but he knew that was a queue for him to stop what he had started with her earlier. "What's wrong?" He asked her, his voice brimming with concern and worry for the dark haired woman.

The Time Mage looked at the ground beneath her for a while, a trace of a smile evident on her visage. Without looking up at the pink haired man, she asked him, tentatively," Are you really sure about this?"

Natsu was taken aback by her question, not expecting her to spring it up at such a moment. He wanted to agree instantly, wasting no time in providing the woman with an answer, but before he could answer, the words got stuck in his throat. Surprised as to why he was hesitating then, he tried again, this time being able to provide the woman with a clear answer, "To tell you the truth, I don't, but I'm willing to try if you are." As soon as he worded his reply, Natsu wondered what had held him back the first time, but chose not to linger on it as he was afraid of the answer he would settle at.

The dark haired woman, at Natsu's response, simply placed one of her hands on his cheek. It felt warm to the touch, something which set her at ease. Ultear had taken note of the slight hesitation that had been in Natsu's voice just then before he replied to her, and it helped to further her beliefs that he did not have his heart 100% set in what he wanted to do. She responded, in a manner similar to the feeling that was welling up in her," I'm more than willing to try, Natsu. But I don't think you're being completely honest with yourself here."

Natsu batted an eyebrow in surprise, wondering why Ultear would tell him something like that. "Why do you say that?" The pink haired man asked curiously, allowing his face to rest into the woman's arm. It was a comforting feeling, and looking into Ultear's eyes then, he thought that he saw a sight similar to the sky she was staring at prior to him meeting her there.

At this question, Ultear simply responded with one word, a word Natsu did not want to hear so soon that night. "Erza."

To the mention of this word, the Dragon Slayer grew slightly irate, but since he did not want to display any of his current emotions to the Time Mage, he simply cast his gaze to the side, hoping that Ultear would not see that she had struck a nerve. He then mumbled, in as coherent a tone as he could muster," She already has Jellal. I don't see how she affects-"

He was not allowed to complete his response, however, as the next thing he knew, there was a finger pursed on his lips, effectively silencing him. This prompted him to refocus his attention on the woman before him who had been the one to silence him. Ultear, on the other hand, upon noticing Natsu's reaction after she mentioned the word 'Erza', found herself amused by how he had tried his best to hide his discomfort at the topic being raised again.

 _He's kinda cute when he's grumbling too._

Natsu was about to continue his protest, but one look at Ultear was enough to tell him that she intended to tell him something at that point. So he decided to keep still, waiting to see what the dark haired woman would say.

"Natsu, I know the two of you aren't exactly on the best of terms, but you need to talk to her," the Time Mage stated calmly, still keeping her finger placed on Natsu's lips so as to silence him.

The pink haired man listened keenly, paying special attention to each word that Ultear told him, before he opened his mouth to speak again. This time, his voice came out in a calm and collected manner, something that prompted Ultear to release her hold on his lips so that she could hear what he had to say. "Even if I did, I don't think anything will change. I think I made things clear between us a while back."

Ultear shook her head in response, not agreeing with what the man was saying at all. She did not have the faintest clue what he meant by 'making things clear a while back', but one thing she knew was that if things went on like this, Natsu would come to suffer in future for turning a blind eye to what he really wanted. There was no ways she was ever going to let that happen. "Look, Natsu, there's something I think you need to know. Earlier in the day when you stormed off after Erza appeared, I had a little talk with her." Natsu's eyes widened momentarily in curiosity at this, and Ultear continued," The expression on her face…it didn't look like that of someone who was happy about being in a relationship."

Natsu's lips parted in surprise at this statement, and he immediately pressed on the Time Mage for her to elaborate further," What do you mean by that?!" He asked, his voice carrying a sense of nervousness and anxiety. Had he been wrong about everything from the onset? But then….things didn't add up. Jellal made his and Erza's status clear to him that afternoon, so why would Erza not be delighted at all?

"I'm not exactly sure of the details myself, but Natsu," she fixed him with a pensive glance, "you might have jumped the gun too early with your decision about Erza."

The pink haired Dragon Slayer felt something get caught in his throat, staring at the woman before him in a manner of disbelief. Of course, Ultear had not been privy to what Natsu had witnessed between Erza and Jellal earlier, but she had been able to place one and one together after getting the gist of things from Natsu and slightly from Erza. But were things really not as he had seen them? Ultear's words had somewhat created more doubts for him while clearing the misconceptions he had earlier, but still, he was not sure whether he was supposed to act on the new impulse he had received.

Ultear of course, took note of his hesitant behavior, owing to how he had fallen gravely silent for the past couple of minutes or so. This wouldn't do. The Time Mage released a sigh, before telling Natsu, in a more confident tone this time," At least try, for my sake as well?"

Natsu, who had his arms placid on his chest, looked a bit fidgety as he clearly struggled to come to a decision as to what he had to do. This time, however, he took a shorter amount of time, since only a few seconds elapsed, before he focused his gaze on Ultear once more, and nodded brusquely in affirmation to her statement. He figured that it wouldn't hurt to at least try talking to Erza, since even if things went awry, there would still be a chance for him to seek closure and move on with his life. Coming to this realization moment after agreeing to Ultear's request, he suddenly felt more at ease with himself than he had on any other occasion of the day. He grinned at the Time Mage, flashing her one of the million dollar smiles he adorned whenever he was pleased with something, before telling her in his usual upbeat voice, "Thanks, Ultear!"

The dark haired woman was surprised, first by the manner in which Natsu had responded to her just then, but more so by the fact that Natsu had for the first time ever, since she first met him, referred to her by her name. The thought of this made her giddy and filled her with joy. A giggle threatened to break out from her, and offering no resistance, she allowed herself to giggle in the pink haired man's presence.

"What's funny?" Natsu asked, not expecting to elicit such a reaction from the woman with his show of appreciation. Had he said something funny? Leaning in so as to get a closer look at the Time Mage's face, he realized that the woman was beaming with happiness at the moment, and whilst still in confusion over what had brought that on, he was glad that he was able to make the woman laugh and bring her joy in that moment.

A few seconds elapsed with the Time Mage caught in a fit of giggles, but she managed to steady herself, upon which she realized just how close her and Natsu's faces were at the moment. It brought a small blush to her cheeks, clearly flustered by the close proximity. Then again, there was one more thing she needed to do before Natsu went off into the night in search of the red haired girl, so without wasting any more time, she inched her body forward and placed a kiss on Natsu's forehead. Once she had parted his lips from him, she responded in her usual calm manner," It's nothing silly."

 _Thank you, Natsu, for the happiness you gave me._

Slapping him on the back in an attempt to spur him on, she told him, in a tone of finality for the night," Now get going! The next time you come to see me; you'd better bring news about the two of you making up."

Natsu was flustered by her sudden action, but realizing that was his cue to part with his Master for the night, he decided to say nothing more, instead walking away from the Time Mage and heading deeper into the forest, his spirits lit anew and in his heart a growing urge to find the girl who he knew meant more to him than he had originally thought.

Moments after Natsu had taken his leave from Ultear's presence; a voice then spoke up behind the Time Mage. It was a soft voice, one she had been used to ever since she had saved the girl all those years in the past from her village. "Are you happy with that?"

Ultear was a tad surprised, as she had not expected the person in question to appear at that moment. Turning her head, her eyes came to rest upon the form of a petite young girl, who had a beautiful shade of pink hair. She smiled softly at the girl," So you were watching, Meldy?"

The Sensory Link Mage looked at her foster mother affectionately, her eyes showing concern as to how Ultear was feeling at the moment. She continued in a hearty voice, "I thought you wanted to be with him." The truth was, ever since Ultear had developed an interest in Natsu, she had kept her feelings secret, only indulging in her foster daughter as she was sure that the girl would be able to keep a secret. At first Meredy had been surprised, but coming to terms with what her mother had told her, she decided to silently support her and hope the best for her in what she had in mind. Seeing what Ultear had done to aid Natsu, Meredy realized that she was not content with how her mother had sacrificed her happiness for Natsu's sake. It did not bode well with her.

Ultear closed her eyes momentarily, walking slowly towards her daughter, before responding softly, "I do…..but well, some people are meant to be alone."

"Ul….." Meredy started, but this time, Ultear was not going to let her complete her statement. Taking her place next to her as they walked in the opposite direction, she said brusquely, "Let's go. I need to get some sleep before continuing the training session tomorrow with the others.

 _Natsu_

The pink haired man trudged through the forest with a much needed haste, his destination the place where he had left Erza earlier. As he moved past tree after tree, somewhere inside him he was hoping against hope that he would still find her there. If there was a sliver of a chance that she was still there, Natsu vowed in his mind that the first thing he would do was apologize to her for the offhanded manner he had been acting the whole day.

He rushed on and on, the moon overhead illuminating his path, and within moments he had reached the spot where the small lake in the forest was. He stopped momentarily, his eyes scouring the area for any sign of a red patch of hair, but he came short on nothing. Dismayed, he placed his hands on his waist, wondering whether Erza had rejoined with the others. If that was the case, it would prove slightly difficult for him to separate her and get to talk to her in private, but since he had already resolved to talk to her, Natsu decided to push all his doubts at the back of his mind. He was preparing to turn and head back in the direction of the cabin, when he came upon something off.

There was something weird in the area around the lake. Erza's scent still lingered there, albeit it was weak and seemed to be on the verge of fading away. Still, that wasn't the off thing. The scent seemed to be muddled with someone else's scent, a somewhat stronger scent than Erza's, and at first Natsu wondered whose it was. Racking his brain as the scent was one he knew he was no stranger to, he was shocked as he soon came to the conclusion that the scent belonged to none other than Jellal Fernandes.

Shock shot through Natsu upon that realization. What was Jellal doing with Erza at that ungodly hour of the night? Jellal's warning to Natsu then echoed in Natsu's mind, and he surmised that maybe, just maybe there was a chance that Jellal had witnessed what had transpired between Natsu and Erza prior to him stumbling upon Ultear by chance. If that was the case, then Jellal had already acted upon his words, and this realization sent a surge of anger throughout Natsu's body. Damn it! Just when he was about to set things straight with Erza, something like that had to happen!

He wasted no time in trying to track the remnants of the scent, but to his further dismay, the smell came to a halt a few paces away from the lake. Did that mean that Jellal teleported away with Erza to a distant place? Natsu's mind was thrown into disarray, his thoughts in a maelstrom, and to calm himself, he punched the tree next to him in anger, sending a few leaves dropping to the ground with his more than intended force. Again, for the second time in a matter of minutes, he tried pondering over where the two in question might have gone, but he drew a blank. He did not know much about Jellal except that she was a childhood friend of Erza, but that alone would not suffice in helping him figure out their whereabouts.

He needed find someone who had an idea of where Jellal might have gone with Erza. His guild mates of course, would be no help, since they were none the closer to Jellal than he was. Luckily for him, he still remembered vividly that his master plus a pink haired girl had formed the Independent Guild **Crime Sorciere** with Jellal when they had introduced themselves to Natsu's group. They had to have an idea of where Jellal might have gone. Relieved that he had gotten some clue on where to start, Natsu immediately set off to look for his master, following the scent that she had left from the spot where he had stood with her earlier. In her case, it was in his favor that her scent was still strong enough for him to make a trail out of.

A few minutes later, Natsu came to a halt outside a cabin that was somewhat smaller than the one the Fairy Tail mages were taking residence in. He surmised that it was where the members of Crime Sorciere were taking refuge for the night, and wasted no time in bursting in, desperate as he was. One thing that needed to be known about Natsu Dragneel, however, was that he was never really one to express something as important as delicacy or tact. Such was the case that he found the two female members of the Independent Guild currently in the middle of changing into their night garments, having loosened themselves of their earlier garbs. Still, that did not mean that they were clothed. On the contrary, Ultear herself was currently topless, leaving her voluptuous body in full display for any and all to witness.

The Time Mage took a moment to register the intrusion that had just happened upon her and her daughter, and when she realized it was Natsu, her cheeks turned a faint shade of red as she was immediately flustered. She moved to land a blow on the Dragon Slayer as a form of punishment for his perverted tendencies, but upon seeing the serious look on his face, stopped halfway in mid motion. Natsu seemed to be slightly out of breath, owing to how he was breathing a tad heavier than normal, which brought Ultear to the realization that something was slightly off.

"I need your help."

 **A/N:** Next chapter, the search for Erza begins. Will Natsu be able to find her in time? Just where did Erza and Jellal go? The story comes to a conclusion in the next one or two chapters! Read and find out more! Toodles;p


	6. Chasing Scarlet

**Chapter 6**

 **Chasing Scarlet**

The trio of Natsu Dragneel, Ultear Milkovich and Meredy were running in the dark of the forest with much needed haste, in their hurry leaving behind the sound of rustling leaves and crunching pebbles on the ground. The light of the moon overhead illuminated their paths, making sure that they did not run into any trees or fall into any ditches at the speed they were rushing with. A few minutes elapsed with none of them saying anything to the other, the atmosphere around them carrying the tension each of them experienced in their hearts.

Ultear was the first one to break the ice in the group," Meldy, how close are we to where Jellal is?" She turned to face her foster daughter, who was rushing next to her on her right. The pink haired girl closed her eyes momentarily, then placing two of her fingers together, a pink heart shaped mark appeared on her forehead. A fraction of a second later, she opened her eyes, and then focusing on the two people to her left, she responded,

"We're almost there. There's a river at the edge of this island, once we cross it we'll be able to arrive at a house in the middle of the river where Jellal is. Hopefully Erza is there as well," the Sensory Mage said in a curt manner.

To Ultear's left, Natsu regarded the pink haired girl curiously. Truth be told, it was the first time he had witnessed Meredy use her magic, so he was curious how it worked, especially after witnessing that heart shaped mark form itself on her forehead earlier. "How did you know exactly where Jellal is, Meredy?" The Dragon Slayer asked, the tone in his voice mirroring his expression at the moment.

The Sensory Mage averted her eyes away from her foster mother and looked at the lone male in the group they were currently in, then responded in kind," Oh yeah, you've never seen my magic right, Natsu?" She pressed a finger to her chin as if in thought. "Well I use Sensory Link Magic, it's a magic that enables me to link my senses to another person, or to link another person's senses to someone else who's not there with them. In the past, the only thing I used to do was link my senses to another person, but in the seven years you guys were gone, I've managed to improve on my ability and now I can use it to track anyone I want."

Natsu listened keenly to what the younger girl had to say, at the end of her explanation widening his eyes in amazement. It certainly was amazing magic, he had to admit. Still, there was one thing that did not add up in Meldy's explanation, he realized a moment later, as he tilted his head and said to the pink haired girl, "That's amazing!" He smiled momentarily, before continuing," But when were you able to use your magic on Jellal?"

Meldy's expression saddened a little, looking at the ground beneath her feet as they were now rushing along a clear path. When she opened her mouth to speak up again, her voice came out husky, something which worried Natsu and Ultear. Their attention was immediately diverted to the girl on their right, looking at her with eyes brimming with concern.

"Mhm, about that, well the truth is that I witnessed the entire event between you and Jellal in the forest earlier, Natsu. It was purely by coincidence though, since at that time I happened to be taking a walk and I came across the two of you," the pink haired girl started, slightly surprising Natsu as his eyes grew to the size of bulbs. Ultear was surprised more than the Dragon Slayer, this being the first she heard of anything of the sort happening between Natsu and Jellal. They made no attempt to interrupt Meredy as she was speaking, allowing her to continue with her explanation.

"At that time, I was surprised at the manner in which he was talking to you Natsu, but I was worried about him nonetheless, so I decided to keep tabs on him since I knew that he was going to try something ," she concluded her explanation, but her expression had not taken any turn for the better. Meredy still had that despondent look on her face, as if she had not done the right thing.

Ultear's mind was reeling in with the information she had just been told. She had her own suspicions prior to the explanation from Meredy, but since she did not have any basis or form of evidence, she did not give the matter a lot of thought and put it to rest at the back of her mind. Still, Meredy had shed light on a lot of things just then, and the Time Mage found herself wondering just what had happened between Erza and Jellal. In any case, it wasn't anything pretty, that much was sure, since if things were really smooth, there would be no need for him to confront Natsu as Meredy had described it.

The Sensory Mage spoke up once more, interrupting the maelstrom of thoughts that were currently in Ultear's mind. "I'm sorry, Ul. I should have told you about something like this earlier. Maybe if I did then nothing like this would have happened."

Ultear was surprised by the tone in Meredy's voice at that point, having not expected the girl to feel responsible for Jellal making off without telling either her or her foster daughter. Her reaction of course, was understandable, but she didn't have to beat herself that much over it. Fondly smiling at the pink haired girl, Ultear told her in a motherly tone that surprised Natsu as well, since he had never seen that side of Ultear," Idiot. You don't need to apologize for anything. You haven't done anything wrong, you know."

Natsu spoke up next, although in his case he was not specifically addressing Meredy, rather he was talking to the two women with him at the moment. "Hey guys, I want you to hear me out on something." The two girls' attention was diverted to him, all traces of their previous conversation seemingly having up and gone with the slight breeze that was present in the night air. "Thanks for helping me out with this. I know that it's sort of a nuisance to you two, but still I'm really happy that you decided to come with me. I don't want any of the others to know about this since it might cause trouble for them, and like you said earlier, Ultear, confronting Erza is something I need to do on my own."

Ultear smiled at him fondly. Shaking her head slightly, she proceeded to say, in a soothing voice," It's no problem for us, you know. Jellal is our friend, so part of the responsibility for finding him falls to us as well." Looking at the road before them, she then said, "The thing I'm worried about is whether we will be able to make it back before all the others wake up and start wondering where we are."

This rejuvenated the Dragon Slayer, owing to the big grin that adorned his face as he looked at the Time Mage. His heart was brimming with affection for the dark haired woman, and if they weren't currently occupied with looking for Erza and Jellal, he would have given her a big hug right there and then to show her how much he appreciated what she was doing for him. His spirits set aflame anew, he increased the pace in his steps, and his two comrades did the same, as they inched closer and closer to the ends of the forest.

After a while, however, Natsu spoke up again, after realizing that they were getting warmer and warmer. "I've been wondering this for a while, but where exactly are we going? You never mentioned where exactly Jellal was, only that he was past the river and on some island or something like that."

"About that, well, before we met up with you guys, a few weeks back Jellal took us to this house on an lone island," Meredy began to explain, having regained the usual tone in her voice. Ultear was happy to see that her foster daughter had managed to recompose herself and was no longer feeling guilty over what had happened with Jellal. Meredy continued, "Me and Ul thought that the house was pretty, since it had such a wonderful décor and interior layout. Jellal told us that he was planning to invite a special person to the house soon."

Natsu knew who exactly he meant a few seconds before Meredy even mentioned the fact, and he felt himself feeling slightly discontented that Erza was probably already in the said house with Jellal. It made him grow worried as he was not sure what he would find waiting for him once he got there, but this time, he was not going to let a stray thought discourage him. He was planning to see this through till the very end.

Beside him, the dark haired girl giggled a little as Meredy continued with her tale. It brought back a funny feeling of nostalgia," Ul and I of cours, teased him that he wouldn't be able to ask Erza to come there. When we said this, Jellal smiled softly from his position on the window, and then told us that in time he would. He also added that he was sure Erza would love the view of the sea and the sun from there, so we were implicitly forbidden from saying anything at all about it to Erza, since he wanted it to be a surprise to her.

 _Erza and Jellal_

The duo of red haired and blue haired mages had just set foot inside the wooden compartment that lay at the edge of the island. Erza, while at first unsure of where Jellal was taking her, placed her trust in her childhood friend. She did not turn out to be wrong in her decision, as the house she was in at the moment certainly took her breath away. The house in particular consisted of two main rooms; a large living room and a bedroom, as well as a small room that was used as a store room near the living room, kitchen and bathroom. The living room itself had a round wooden table, a wardrobe, a full body-sized mirror beside the cutlery sideboard. The bedroom, on the other hand, had two beds, a photo wall and a balcony that overlooked the large sea outside, giving a gorgeous view from inside the house. The wooden compartment had a small terrace at the entrance, and it was surrounded by a wooden fence with a wooden gate.

Once Erza had taken time to marvel at the wondrous features of the house, she wondered whether it was okay for her to make herself comfortable. Jellal, seemingly reading her mind owing to the way she was fidgeting slightly a few paces away from the door, smiled softly at her, before telling her to make herself welcome and not to worry over something so trivial. Hesitatingly, Erza took a few steps into the house, making her comfortable on one of the wooden chairs that lay around the table in the living room. There was something wrapped beautifully in the middle of the table.

"It's a really beautiful place, Jellal," Erza said as her eyes scoured the roof of the house, obviously not satisfied with just looking at the place once. Jellal took note of her amazement with the house and found it amusing, glad in his heart that the red haired girl had taken nicely to the house that he had been planning to invite her over for a while. Satisfaction welled up in him, and he responded," Thank you, Erza. I'm glad you like the place."The blue haired man had his back rested against one of the walls of the house, where he was able to take in all of Erza's reactions to the place.

The red haired Mage spoke up again, this time focusing her gaze on her childhood friend, "But you know, we didn't have to come this far away from the others. I would have been okay if you took me somewhere closer but still within the forest if you wanted to talk to me." As soon as those words escaped her mouth, however, a memory prodded at her mind vividly, and she remembered how awkwardly she had left things off with the blue haired man, wondering if he was experiencing the same thing as her. In case he did, he sure was not giving any signs of it, since he was still talking as casually with Erza as he always had.

Jellal shook his head briefly, before walking to the table where Erza was seated. "Well, that was an option, of course, but I brought you here because there's something very important that I wanted to discuss with you," he said after a short moment of silence. Erza batted her eyebrows curiously, bobbing her head to the side as she looked at the man who was now standing a few feet away from her. Wordlessly, he picked up the wrapped object on the table, before turning his back to Erza. A small shuffle of paper made Erza realize that he was unwrapping the present and her heart skipped a beat as she grew increasingly curious to what the object was.

Finally turning his back to face her once more, but keeping one of his hands enclosed so as to block Erza's view of the present, he slowly went down on one knee, surprising the red haired woman further, and then said in a stoic manner.

"Erza Scarlet, will you marry me?"

 **A/N:** Again, sorry for the small delay in updating this story. It was supposed to be up three days ago, but well stuff happened and blah blah blah. Still, I hope this chapter was okay. I'm still suffering from the Aquarius feels moment (God damn it Mashima don't you have any pity on my poor heart), but that's another story. Enjoy the chapter guys, and make sure not to forget to leave a review! Love ya'll.


	7. I Won't Marry You

**Chapter 7**

 **I Won't Marry You**

Erza's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets after the proposal she had received from the blue haired man, who was still on his knee just ahead of her. At first, her initial thought was that this was all part of a dream, so she went forth and pinched herself lightly on her cheek. The small sting reminded her that all that had transpired had been real, as was the reality that the silence that hung low in the air was a form of asking her to respond to the situation.

"Jellal, I-"the words came out in a voice that did not sound her own. Never before in her life had she expected to receive a marriage proposal from Jellal, much less in such a lavish setting. While she did have the truth of the matter of his feelings for her regarding their near kiss in the forest earlier, she still felt that it was a tad too early to be discussing marriage with him. Besides, a small part of her thought, after she stopped the kiss prematurely, shouldn't Jellal have a hint of what she felt regarding him?

"I've been thinking about this for a while, Erza," Jellal's words invaded the plethora of thoughts currently swirling in her mind, momentarily robbing Erza of the ability to continue voicing her protests. "I was unsure whether it was the right thing to do, with all that had happened between us. But, after seeing you after all those seven years made me realize just how empty my life is without you,"Jellal continued, and Erza took note of the fact that he was not looking at her as he lay his heart out for her. His gaze was to his side, a slightly guilty look in his eyes, giving Erza the impression that he was talking to himself more than her. It made the situation more awkward.

His gaze returned to her once more, "I guess what I'm saying is that I want you to be part of my life, as I will be in yours," he concluded, this time making sure his eyes never trailed from her. Erza shifted nervously in her seat as she tried to steady her nerves, an attempt that was clearly not bearing any success so far.

Jellal's words cleared up some of the doubts she had in her mind regarding the entire matter, though somewhere in her there was still a feeling of hesitation. She rubbed her arm with her hand in her current state of confusion, this time being the one to avert her gaze from the other as she was finding it increasingly hard to maintain eye contact with the blue haired man. She found his words touching, and could feel the complete sincerity brimming out of them, which served to make it harder on her to give him an answer. Her earlier resolve was beginning to crumble, and she found herself swaying in a positive direction to Jellal's words.

A memory prodded at her from within her maelstrom of thoughts, carrying with it a flash of pink. Natsu's smile. It helped to calm Erza down, bringing a faint smile to her lips. A second memory then surfaced after the first one, making the red haired girl remember sadly how Natsu had left her alone in the forest without as much as a backward glance at her on their last conversation. It made her heart sink a little. After she had gone all those lengths to show him her affection! There was a stab at her heart, making her feel as if someone had thrust one of her own magical swords through her. The pain brought her to the point of tears, but she did her best to hold them back. It would not do to start bawling her eyes out in front of Jellal, since she did not think it necessary for him to know the inner turmoil she was experiencing at the moment.

With great difficulty, she managed to dull the pain gnawing away at her heart. Once she was sure that she had recomposed herself, she came to a conclusion that her most recent memory regarding the Dragon Slayer was a way of telling her that it was best if she accepted Jellal's proposal. Yes, she thought, this was adding fuel to the fire that had sparked in her heart at that moment, and it was sure to turn out for the best. Slowly, the red haired girl began stretching out her hand to meet Jellal's ready one, which had stayed in mid air for a longer time than she wanted. A pang of guilt struck a chord somewhere in her. The blue haired man saw her hand drawing ever so closer to his, his face brightening up into a smile. Likewise, he stretched out his second hand preparing to garb the ring on her finger, as a mark of their future together….

Erza's hand came to rest tenderly upon Jellal's hand that still had the ring in its hold, causing his heart to nearly stop beating. The elation he had felt earlier ebbed away as soon as it had cropped up in him, giving way to a mixture of shock and confusion. Looking up at the red haired girl from his crouched position on the floor, he found her shaking her head gently, and somewhere inside him, something broke. A stern expression adorned Erza's visage at that point, perhaps the most confident demeanor she had that entire day when talking to Jellal. There was no hint of doubt anywhere in Erza's actions just then. She knew full well that if she smiled at Jellal at that point as if trying to soothe his broken heart, which she had been a cause of, it, would only be more damaging to him. Her resolve was hardened anew, and she wasn't going to look back or bear any more doubts.

"Jellal," she started, making sure her tone was as assertive as possible, "I'm really happy that you think of me that way, but well, my feelings for you have sort of… _changed._ " She made sure to put emphasis on the last part of the statement so that Jellal would not gloss over things again. "They aren't like they were in the past."

"What…do you mean by that, Erza?" Jellal asks in a hollow tone, although he had figured what Erza would say next. After he had put all that effort into separating Erza from the pink haired man, he still had part of her heart. The mere realization of that vexed the blue haired man, however, seconds later a second feeling sprung up in him, realizing it to be sadness. He was saddened more than it made him angry.

Erza closed her eyes briefly at his question, trying to recompose her thoughts, and then opened them up a fraction of a second later," In the past, well, I would have leapt into your arms at your proposal," this sent a flicker of hope up in Jellal, for some reason he did not understand, and he hoped against hope that somewhere in her, she still felt the same way as she did in the past. It wasn't wrong to hope, was it? She continued," I did feel the same way for you as you felt for me, or rather you still do, but right now, it's not the same feeling. It's a different kind of love, I guess. My heart belongs to someone else."

And just like that, Jellal's whole world came crashing down on him. He had lost count of the number of times that day alone that Erza had done that to him, filling him with hope then violently snatching that away mere moment later. He felt like crying, as he gritted his teeth in a mixture of anger and agony.

 _Yes_ , Erza thought, as she regarded the man before her, _this is for the best._ Jellal's somber expression at that point did nothing to dull her intentions. Being candid with herself, plus with Jellal and Natsu, was definitely the best decision she had made that entire day. It was by no means easy, she reflected, but perhaps that alone made it worth it.

From the moment that last memory with Natsu hit her, Erza realized just how much she loved the pink haired man. She was slightly aware of it before, but somehow that memory alone carried an entire plethora of emotions that she had been stranger to. Accepting Jellal's proposal just because he had left her with a broken heart might have served to soothe her pain at the moment, with the prospect of brighter days in future, but that in it would be a lie to her heart. Natsu was the one who her heart yearned for, the one who she knew she would be happiest with for the rest of her life. Of course there were going to be times when they hurt each other, but wasn't that what love was about?

Getting up without a further word from her seat, Erza decided that the next thing she needed to do was go and see the Natsu to set things right with him, no matter how stubborn he would act, or how tough it would be on her part. Her sudden action surprised Jellal, but at that moment, acknowledging his own loss in the matter, he would do nothing to hinder her actions. The blue haired man had both his hands resting weakly at his sides, merely watching Erza. The red haired woman bowed curtly before him, mouthing a quick apology, adding a 'Thank You' at the end. She then rushed towards the door, her spirits set aflame by her new convictions, and a broad smile slowly worming its way onto her face. Her hair fell across her face as she neared the door, covering the gleam her eyes shone with, and she swung the door open….

"ERZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A sound so near she could have reached out to see who it sourced from rung in her ears, taking her slightly aback, before the sound was trailed by a mass of pink hair which crossed her path of vision for a split second. A great force rammed into her torso, knocking the wind out of her, and the next thing Erza knew, her head was on the floor, throbbing with pain where she had fallen. The earlier impact still had her in a daze, and she struggled to regain control of her senses.

"That looks like it really hurts," a concerned voice spoke up a few paces outside the door, belonging to a certain pink haired girl.

Ultear merely smirked in amusement, a hand laid on her waist. "See what happens when you don't slow down? You nearly tore the door down, Natsu!" The dark haired woman reprimanded the pink haired man, but she could not hide the sign of amusement in her voice.

On the floor, the word Natsu rung in Erza's ears, and she remembered the flash of pink she had seen before she was floored unceremoniously, causing her heart to skip a beat. She struggled to refocus her sight before her, and a familiar silhouette appeared before her eyes. She could feel two strong arms on her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Erza! Are you alright?!" Natsu asked desperately, blocking out her view of anything else and a worried look etched on his face. Erza thought it was cute.

A giggle erupted from her mouth, followed by a low laugh, and moments later a series of laughs came out of her, befuddling Natsu and the two girls behind him. He tipped his head curiously to the side, withdrawing his arms from Erza's shoulders and folding them across his chest. He sat next to the girl, curiously watching her. For a few seconds no one said anything in the room, all of them seemingly endorsed by the red haired girl's laugh. Once the giggles had died down, Natsu neared her face again, asking hesitantly," E-Erza? Is everything okay?"

She shifted her gaze away from the sky to the pink haired man seated next to her. She smiled at him gently," It's perfect. But it is kind of ironic, I guess. Here I was dead set on going to look for you, but you come crashing into me."

Natsu's cheeks turned a faint shade of crimson at that, and he averted his gaze away from Erza, scratching his cheek playfully. He closed his eyes in a show of embarrassment," W-what a coincidence. I-I was looking for you too." The words came out in a rush, making Erza smile in amusement.

Behind Natsu, the duo of Crime Sorciere's women approached their third member, but there was a menacing aura around the dark haired Time Mage. Meredy was the first one to speak up to the blue haired man," Jellal, how could you leave without even saying a single word? We were so worried!" Her voice was laden with happiness at having finally found the man.

Ultear, on the other hand, was not as nice as Meredy. Her eyes were gleaming with irritation, and wordlessly, she grabbed Jellal by his head and placed him under her arm. The force nearly ripped his hair from his head. He winced slightly, but the Time Mage was not quite done yet, as she proceeded to nudge the top of his head repeatedly with her hand. Meredy was slightly scared after seeing this side of her foster mother, and she made a mental note never to take leave without informing her in advance. Once Ultear was done with nudging the top of his head, leaving it sore with pain, she dragged him by the back of his shirt then walked to the entrance of the wooden cabin.

Jellal realized a moment later that they were heading outside, and moved to protest immediately," Wait! This is my house, Ultear! You can't just take me out like this!" Ultear cast a backwards glance at him, her expression one of boredom. "I can, and I will. That's what you get for taking off on your own." Meredy followed her two guild mates outside shortly after. Once the trio were outside and well within ear shot of Natsu and Erza who were still within the house, Ultear released the blue haired man, who spoke up once again to her. This time, however, there was a tone of resignation in his voice.

"Heeh, I guess you guys were right after all," he stated to both his female counterparts, catching them by surprise. Ultear arched her eyebrows. "I wasn't able to bring Erza here," he continued in a despondent manner, realization finally dawning on the two females. Meredy regarded the man somberly, a downcast look on her face. She did not know what to say. Ultear seemed to, however, owing to how she tapped him on the back, and then told him, this time in a motherly tone," Don't worry about it. You still have us, right?" This brought a heartwarming smile to the pink haired girl's face.

 _Natsu and Erza_

Inside the house, the air was still silent in the wake of Crime Sorciere's temporary leave, its current inhabitants now gripped with tension. They had no idea how to come to terms with what they had resolved on moments earlier, something which made the situation grow increasingly awkward. Resolving to do it was one thing, but at that moment, Natsu and Erza realized how going through with something you had resolved upon was a completely different thing altogether.

The Dragon Slayer broke the ice first," Look, Erza, I'm sorry about everything today. I should have talked properly with you and not jumped to conclusions or run away like I did. Even earlier in the evening, I shouldn't have stormed off without saying anything to you. Really, I'm so sorry I put you through all that." His voice was close to breaking, something which Erza noted with shock and spurned her to play her part too. The somber expression on his face nearly broke her. Here Natsu was, trying his best to amend things with her, and she was still wishy washy over what she had resolved on doing earlier.

The red haired woman cleared her throat brusquely, before speaking up herself, "Natsu, you don't need to apologize. I kind of brought that on myself, I guess. I'm the one who should be sorry, since you saw me and Jellal like that in the first place, but well, if it helps any, I didn't actually kiss him. I stopped halfway."

The Dragon Slayer's eyes grew to the size of bulbs. His mouth was agape with shock, a small gaps escaping momentarily. "Really?" He asked in a faint voice, although he was not sure what exactly he was trying to confirm by asking that. Erza had always been honest with him, right? And true to that, she nodded in affirmation to his question. Natsu beamed with happiness, his familiar grin breaking out on his face and directed at the red haired beauty. At that moment, he felt as though a great weight had been taken of his heart, and he felt as if he was about to explode with joy. He held in the ecstasy that had just overwhelmed him. It turned out to be the right choice, as a moment later, he made out a shade of crimson on Erza's cheeks. He wondered what had brought that on.

"What's wrong? Your face is all red, Erza."

She spoke up in a bit of a raised tone," Well, I just realized you're the only person I've kissed today. That was my first kiss. Remembering that embarrassed me a little, is all." She then placed a hand on her forehead as she tried to calm herself, but the blush on her cheeks only grew deeper and deeper.

Natsu's arched an eyebrow in surprise once more, but once the full brunt of what Erza said hit him, he raised his hands in the air in celebration. This time, it was his turn to break into a fit of laughter, and funny enough, his reaction mirrored Erza's, at first only a giggle before it grew into full blown laughter. His spasms of joy at the moment were eerily similar to that of a kid upon receiving a Christmas present that he deemed was from Santa. Erza realized his gesture was only serving to embarrass her more, so she told him in a flustered tone to stop.

That did the trick; however, Natsu had fallen into a queer silence next. He paused momentarily, but the next time he moved, he placed his arms on Erza's arms on her position on the floor. He surrounded her on both sides, strangely reminding the red haired girl of what Jellal had done to her earlier that day. This time though, her heart was beating erratically in her chest and there were butterflies fluttering violently in her stomach. Her body fidgeted weakly under Natsu's firm hold, and the blush on her face deepened, but she was unable to do anything to hide it from the pink haired man's sight.

"What…what are you doing so suddenly?" She asked him in a more flustered tone, but somehow she already knew what was about to happen next.

"Is it okay if we finish on what we started last time?" Natsu asked, catching Erza completely off guard.

"Eh?" These were the only words that escaped the girl's mouth, before she found her lips captured by his once more in a kiss that was like none she had ever experienced before in her life. Not that she had much kissing experience though. Natsu took her slight gasp then as a sign of affirmation, and from the second kiss he had shared with her that day, Erza managed to gasp momentarily in shock, her breath caught short in her chest. She then allowed herself to be taken by him, her heart now beating maddeningly within her chest as if trying to find a way to escape her ribcage and break out of her body. Unlike the last time she kissed Natsu, however, this time she could feel the love and passion from his lips, filling her mouth with hotness she did not mind and dangerously making her ask for more. At some point or another, Natsu had released the woman's hands, and Erza did not waste the opportunity to enclose her arms around his neck to pull him closer, her legs wrapping around his waist to meld their bodies together.

After 5 or so minutes of nothing but lip-locking between the two, Natsu finally broke free of Erza's lips for his first breath of air. There was a thin film of perspiration on her skin from the heat of their contact, and Erza was breathing a bit heavily as she tried to steady her breath in her chest. The pink haired man looked at her, before asking her in a curious tone, "Ne, Erza, I've been wondering about this for a while, but what did Jellal tell you when he brought you here?" It was something that bothered him ever since he had set out with Meredy and Ultear to search for her, as he had figured that if Jellal went to all the trouble of bringing her all this way, there was certainly a good reason for that.

"He asked me to marry him," Erza replied in a nonchalant manner, having been able to regain her breath.

Natsu was mildly surprised, although he guessed it was probably something of that magnitude," What did you tell him?"

A smirk appeared on the red haired girl's mouth, as she realized the current opportunity was a golden chance," Why, I told him yes, of course!"

Natsu's mouth fell wide in shock. He stared at the red haired knight disbelievingly, lost for words. Erza, taking note of his action just then, could not help herself. She broke out into a fit of laughter, confusing Natsu this time. She punched him lightly on the arm once she had regained her usual façade, then said in a hearty voice," Idiot, I'm only joking you know. And what was with that face just then? Don't tell me, you wanted to do the honors yourself?" A cheeky smile was present on her face at the moment, and she proceeded to pull at his scarf playfully on both ends.

"No." The response came out curtly.

Erza was the one to be shocked this time, staring shockingly at the Dragon Slayer instead. There was a stern expression on his face, but moments later, it melted into one of his usual happy expressions.

"But I'll think about it in the next five years or so. First, we need to properly date, right?"

Erza beat at his chest with her hands.

"NATSUUUUUUUU!"

 **A/N:** This comes a bit earlier than I intended, but well, there's no harm in it, right? That's the end of the ride folks, and I hope that all's well that ends well. Thank you so much for taking time to read this story and enjoy it, it really means a lot to see all the reviews, followers and favorites so far. You guys rule!

 **PS:** On a more personal note, damn it Mashima stop toying with my heart like that. Dishing out more feels with Zeref's and Mavis's story on Monday's chapter, keep this up and I might just need a heart transplant yo! Let me just express how much I love Fairy Tail too on this personal note, because honestly this series is just amazing. The best thing is that it just keeps getting better and better with each story arc and each chapter, so this series comes as a blessing to me. Thank you, Hiro Mashima!

' **It's the first time I've loved anyone this much too'-** Zeref Dragneel.


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